On Wednesday afternoon, Governor Jared Polis issued a statewide stay-at-home order for all Colorado residents. The order will take effect at 6 a.m. Thursday, March 26 and is expected to end April 11. All Coloradans must stay home unless for necessary business.

“The intent of this PHO is to minimize contact between residents and to the great extent possible minimize the exposure of the public to contaminated public surfaces,” the order states. “By staying home we can maximize the number of people isolating in place, reduce the number of people congregating in workplaces at one time and reduce the proximity of people in the workplace, and enable the services, businesses, and travel necessary to protect public health and safety and preserve the continuity of social and commercial life as we save lives.”

People at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and people who are sick are urged to stay home at all times except as necessary to seek medical care.

Critical businesses that may remain open include (not an inclusive list; see order for more):

Note: This summary only includes data through 3/24 and does not reflect cases since then.

1,086 cases

147 hospitalized

36 counties

8,064 people tested

19 deaths **Correction**

9 outbreaks at residential and non-hospital health care facilities

The governor also issued guidance to law enforcement and detention centers.

"I'm grateful to all of our law enforcement agencies who are working to keep Colorado safe during this difficult time. Their service to our communities is critical in addressing the spread of this virus," said Governor Jared Polis. "We have worked closely with local law enforcement to develop this guidance to protect our first responders and those in custody. We will continue working with counties, municipalities, all law enforcement agencies, and all detention centers as the situation develops to safely reduce our incarcerated population and limit the spread of COVID-19."

The guidance is meant to improve safety for all law enforcement officers and the Coloradans they interact with as well as detention center staff and individuals held in custody.

Guidance for law enforcement includes increased use of warnings or summons in lieu of arrest when public safety is not at risk; taking necessary precautions when interacting with members of the public who appear visibly ill; having jurisdictions implement pretrial diversion and release methods to lower the number of individuals held in custody at any given time; and more.

Guidance for all detention centers includes, whenever possible, practicing social distancing for individuals held in custody and staff; temporarily suspending all visitation; ensuring that no more than 10 people are gathered at the same time in any confined space; developing a protocol to regularly sanitize facilities; screening individuals coming in or being released from detention centers for any COVID-19 symptoms; screening all staff for COVID-19 symptoms; and more.

The County Sheriffs of Colorado also issued guidance in conjunction with the Governor's guidance. To the extent that the County Sheriffs of Colorado's Guidance for Jails and Other Police Contacts is more stringent than the Governor's guidance, the County Sheriffs' guidance should be followed.